Technical Abstract:
Tocopherols and tocotrienols, sometimes called tocochromanols or tocols, are also collectively termed Vitamin E. Vitamins A, D, E, and K, are referred to as fat soluble vitamins. Since the discovery of Vitamin E in 1922, many methods have been developed for the analysis of tocopherols and tocotrienols. Early methods were based on derivitization and colorimetric analyses. With the evolution of various chromatographic methods, gas liquid chromatography and then high performance liquid chromatography have been the most valuable techniques for the quantitative analysis of tocopherols and tocotrienols. Although recent advancement in genomics and other “omics” fields have revolutionized many fields of biology and medicine, these methods have not yet been applied to the analysis of tocopherols and tocotrienols. It is likely that rapid metabolomics or other “omics” methods based on mass spectrometry, will soon be developed and will improve the availability and utilization of tocopherol and tocotrienol analytical data.